Dr David Bergvinson, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, which is one of the project's partners, said: "This will provide an efficient road map for sustainable and resilient groundnut production for improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers particularly in the marginal environments of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa."

Peanuts are grown in more than 100 countries and about 42 million tonnes are produced each year.

The research was this week published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.